Love-me-nots
by Mikkuni
Summary: Hanahaki Disease AU


A/N: i know its a lost cause but please bear with me, this is my coping mechanism; HAHAHAHAHAHA.

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Disclaimer: Anime not mine.

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 _Love me_ - **not?**

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The library smelled like old parchment and dried up leaves, every single corner had towering bookcases that reached the top floor. Everything is silent and calm with an occasional rustle of pages as the few occupants in the building moved about their business.

A tall young man stood at the last row of shelves from the furthest corner of the library, A small frown sat on his face as he took a book from the middlemost shelf to inspect it; after glancing down on the foreign title and the dust covered trimmings, the young man shook his head with irritation as he threw the book not-so gently at his own pile of book on the make-shift trolley he made for the occasion.

A mission is a mission, he told himself as he took his trolley and wheeled it down a few aisles to the left, towards the solitary table near the windows; wondering why in the world did he choose to take this stupid mission.

The job is boring as hell, enough to make him want to steal all the books in the godammned library and send it all to his client to just get it over with.

Though, that isn't really the reason he regrets choosing it.

The task is boring, sure; and it was time-consuming but he isn't the type to shy away from an easy pay.

 _No_

His problem lies with _one of his teammates_ for the mission.

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A shout from the floor below him shocks the young man back from his thoughts as he recognizes the shrill scream from Lucy as she yells out Natsu's name in anger, the idiot probably collapsed one of the bookcases with one his bursts of energy again.

Shaking his head, the raven-haired young man decides to forgo his responsibility of keeping the pink-haired dragon slayer in check; Lucy has him covered, another crash echoes from below and the young man flinched a little at the sound; Lucy has him covered **somehow**.

Passing a few more rows of books, the ravenette managed to get back to his table without getting lost again; after setting down his own pile of literature; he noticed that he wasn't the only one snooping around in this side of the library.

A few seconds passed and the young man felt a cough itch up his throat as he stared at the slumbering figure resting on the far side of the table; partially hidden by her own pile of books, the only give-away she is actually here is the few locks of red resting upon the books at her side of the table.

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He stares for a few more seconds and suddenly the itch in his throat gives in and a dry cough escapes his mouth. The calm he felt shattered when the sleeping teen shoots up from her seat in surprise.

Brown meets blue; and the young man feels his face heat up in embarrassment for being caught staring.

"Gray?" Erza asked as she walks up to him, her face scrunched up in concern. "Is something wrong?", He recoils from the sound of her voice.

The itch comes back with vengeance, the pestering sensation travels from his throat to his chests as the feelings he _oh-so_ tries to bury deep down inside comes back to the surface of his mind.

Erza stops a centimetres away from him and he feels relived, he can't hold back when she lingers a bit too close. "You're pale", she notes and he simply nods his head; it's one of the symptoms. "Sweating too", he makes a move to leave and suddenly she's too close; he's enveloped in everything Erza and he feels his skin pinch as he feels the warm touch of her skin on his forehead and the smell of her perfume as she leans in close to take his temperature.

"A fever maybe?"

"I'm fine" he snaps as he slaps her hand away. A few beats pass and suddenly the blooming feeling of irritation was replaced by indescribable pain.

"Do that again and I'll twist you're arm" Erza hisses as she grabs him by the arm as she lugs him back to the table.

"Erza this isn't really the time to-" Erza leans in close again and Gray flinches as he meets eyes with her. _Too close_ , too close, too close, close close close close close close.

"Gray?", she leans in and he leans back because she really is too pretty for her own good but then like the ignorant girl she is; she cages him in with her arms.

 _Usually this is supposed to happen the other way around._

A cough threatens its way past his throat and he feels the bubble of panic come back. "I'm fine" he manages to croak out as he pushes past her and run down the aisle while ignoring the howl of fury the red head screeched.

Images flash in his head and its filled with nothing but Erza and her eyes, and suddenly the pain in his chest chokes the breath out of him; painful enough to have him clutch a shelf so hard he left dents on the wood, with a pained whimper; Gray drops to the floor as he presses his mouth shut; refusing to let the cough run rampant on his throat, it was working.

Then he hears Erza a few aisles away from him and he tucks himself at the very edge to hide.

 _Hell hath no fury like a women scorned_ , he muses to himself as he presses his knees to his chest and waits for Erza to go away.

Silence meets his ears and Gray is once again alone with his thoughts.

Funnily enough, he was in the same position a week ago; only this time he's in a library not a beach, he's hiding behind a bookshelf and not a bush, he's avoiding Erza and not eavesdropping on her, and Erza is alone and not with Jellal.

 _I have a fiancée_

 **Bullshit**

Gray knows he's being unfair; Jellal had Erza first , Jellal loved Erza first and vice-versa but Gray stayed with her from the start, even when this dammned flowers started growing in his chest, he didn't budge an inch. In his head, he deserves Erza more than anyone.

stick to competitions you can win. 

_like hell i will._

The pain comes back and Gray lets it; he's too immersed in the images of his pretty little red head confessing to another guy. A coughs comes, then another and another and another; he's making so much noise he wouldn't be surprised if Erza finds him at this rate, and for once he wouldn't mind it. He's selfish and he knows it; he want to monopolize her thoughts to only him and if the only way to have it was to play the sick card then so be it.

Technically, it is _her_ fault anyway.

Gardenia petals fills his throat and Gray chokes on it. He feels the stem roots itself to his chest painfully as he claws at his shirt.

Everything was too unfair.

Another cough escapes him and the Gardenias burst free as it surrounds him, its bright red petals reminding him of what he couldn't ever have.

.

Too unfair.

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Gardenia: Gardenias symbolize a crush or secret love.


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